


Yearn

by keijiwrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gryffindor Keith (Voltron), Hogwarts AU, M/M, PINING KEITH, Slytherin Lance (Voltron), They're both oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:28:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22334959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keijiwrites/pseuds/keijiwrites
Summary: Keith is planning on confessing to Lance now that they are in their seventh year in Hogwarts School of Witchcradt and Wizardry. Someone beats him to the punch.
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Side Relationships
Comments: 4
Kudos: 227





	Yearn

**Author's Note:**

> Yearn: have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from.

Keith couldn’t sit still. He was waiting to be on his way to his favorite place in the universe. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He enjoyed his classes and loved being with his friends. He was currently waiting on his brother, Shiro, and his brother’s fiance, Adam, to finish whatever it was they were doing so they could head to school. Impatient as ever, he unceremoniously stomped up the stairs and banged on their bedroom door. “Hurry the fuck up!”

He heard a loud sigh. “We’re coming, Keith.” Shiro called.

“We get there in less than five minutes.” Adam added. 

Keith rolled his eyes. They weren’t wrong. Traveling through the Floo System was a lot faster than the train, but the train was scheduled to arrive soon, meaning it would be dinner time and the opening ceremony would begin.

The door opened, revealing Adam dressed to a T in his robes. He was a professor and head of Hufflepuff house, Shiro was head of Gryffindor and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

“Did you have breakfast?” Adam asked sternly, arms crossed over his chest.

Keith frowned. “No, cause it’ll be dinner time when we get there.”

“He has a point.” Shiro stood behind Adam, dressed in his robes as well. 

Adam rolled his eyes, mumbling a ‘whatever’ under his breath as he brushed by Keith. The two brothers bumped fists before following Adam down the stairs. Keith had been travelling through the Floo System for many years now, but it still made his insides feel like goo. Almost immediately upon arrival, Keith shoved his trunk with the other student’s trunks who had traveled through the Floo System as well. He almost ran to the Great Hall, his cat Kosmo following closely behind. He was weaving his way through the mass of students, his Gryffindor robes flowing behind him. 

Keith literally ran into the person he was looking for. The two fell to the ground with a loud thud and a groan of pain. Keith blinked as he came nose to nose with Lance Espinosa. 

The Slytherin smiled so bright, Keith was momentarily blinded. Keith scrambled off Lance, cheeks burning. “Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly as he helped Lance up.

“It’s fine.” Lance dusted off his robes. “Why were you running?”

“Uh, I’m hungry!” Keith almost squeaked. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “I… didn’t have breakfast.”

Lance let out a huff of laughter. “Me either. Ma wanted to kill me.” He began walking, hands in the pockets of his robes. “I woke up late anyways.”

“She didn’t want to metaphorically kill you because you didn’t eat. It was because you woke up late, which doesn’t surprise me. If Potions last year is anything to go by.” Keith teased, jabbing Lance’s side playfully.

Lance pouted. “No fair, Keith. You travel through Floo. You get to sleep in.”

Keith grinned. “Not during the school term. Besides, it’s not like I sleep anyways.”

They reached the Great Hall, and before Lance could question him about his sleeping habits, Keith bolted to the Gryffindor table with a quick ‘later’ over his shoulder. Dinner came and went, Keith watched as the first years got sorted.

He remembered the day he got sorted. He was so nervous about what House he would be sorted into but Lance, who he had met during the one and only train ride Keith ever had, reassured him the whole time. Lance didn’t care as much as Keith. His family was all sorted into different houses so it wasn’t a big deal. Keith had Shiro’s footsteps to fill and follow, so it was much more nerve wracking for him. In the end, Keith was sorted into Gryffindor. Lance however, sat on the chair for a solid two minutes before being sorted into Slytherin. The Cuban looked shocked but Keith knew why Lance got sorted into Slytherin. The boy was fucking cunning and would do anything to get to the top. 

After dinner, Keith, being Prefect, showed the first years the way to the dormitories. The boys were buzzing with excitement Keith could understand. He remembers when he was in their shoes, he was so excited he almost got left behind until Shiro called out to him. The others had snickered at him but he glared at them until Shiro glared at him.

Keith was leading them on a tour of the hallways and gave them the schedule of the stairs. “You’re allowed to use magic but please, do not try to levitate someone up or down the stairs.” He let out a long suffering sigh at the memory of Pidge levitating Matt all the way up to the last staircase because he was late.

After he gave the first years the password and they were all inside, he left them in the care of Ryan Kinkade, Head Boy of Gryffindor. Keith was 100% sure if he wasn’t smitten with Lance and Ryan wasn’t with Sam, a fellow Hufflepuff, he would have hit on Ryan. 

Keith didn’t waste time in scurrying off to the Room of Requirement where his friends were waiting, just like every other year. He had no idea how, but he managed to escape Shiro who was headed into the Gryffindor common room. Either he was getting better or Shiro let him off the hook for one day. He wasn’t sure. 

After being able to get into the Room of Requirement, he was jumped on by a massive white fur ball, also known as Oriande, Allura’s cat. 

“I told you Keith is her favorite!”

Keith could hear the pout in Lance’s voice. The Slytherin was facing Allura who was lying on a couch with her feet propped up on Romelle’s lap. Keith rolled his eyes as he deposited Oriande on Allura’s lap.

“Pretty sure it’s because I smell like Kosmo 24/7, Lance.” He smirked at his friend as he sat on the couch across from Allura and Romelle who were now babying Oriande. 

Lance plopped himself down next to Keith with a sigh. “I wanted a cat. I’ve got Kaltenecker now, though. She’s a good owl. Wakes me up when needed.” He rested his head on Keith’s shoulder with another sigh. 

This kind of thing happened a lot. Keith would sit down and Lance would sit right next to him. No matter how many available seats there were. And right now, there were many. Keith sure as hell was not complaining. Having Lance next to him was a type of comfort for him and he enjoyed the warmth radiating from Lance’s body, even if his gay thoughts would take over sometimes. (A lot of times.)

“I saw you and Nyma talking earlier.” Allura directed her gaze at Lance, manicured eyebrow raised. “You two still a thing?”

“Nyma?” Romelle questioned. “As in Prefect Nyma?”

Keith tried his hardest not to tense up. Lance would sure as hell feel it if he did. “You and Nyma were a thing?” His voice sounded strained, but if anyone noticed, they didn’t say anything. 

“It wasn’t anything serious. We just hooked up a few times.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “She’s with someone else now. I was just saying hi to her.”

Keith wasn’t sure what to feel. He knew Lance wasn’t interested in him and this further proved it. Hunk and Pidge joined them a second later (before Keith got the chance to wallow in self pity.) He still didn’t participate much. They had kept in touch during the Summer break, so there wasn’t much to talk about. Keith knew it was getting late and, being a Prefect, he had to follow curfew. He bid his friends good night, Allura following behind him. They would patrol the first night to make sure all students were in their dormitories before curfew. 

With the time difference and his insomnia acting up Keith didn’t get much sleep that night. He saw Kosmo creep into the room he shared with fellow seventh years at around midnight, he watched as a few owls went on their nightly hunt. Then, just before sunrise, he managed to fall asleep for two hours. Kosmo had woken him up for breakfast by pawing at his face incessantly until Keith had enough and forced himself awake.

He got ready and headed down for breakfast. He didn’t see anyone before the meal began but that was just fine. He wasn’t feeling his best anyways. Keith was grumpier than usual and was ready to fall asleep again, but there was a Quidditch meeting after breakfast. As much as he wanted to skip it his role as vice captain of the team made skipping frowned upon, to say the least. He had to set an example as Prefect as well. 

The meeting was brief, letting teammates know when try outs would be and ending with little excess talk. They were let go, and Keith booked it indoors, it was hot and muggy outside. He didn’t make it far before he was being pulled aside by his robes. He wasn’t sure who it was, but the person was tugging him along. He looked back and immediately noticed Lance’s hair. 

“Lance, what the hell?” He huffed. “Mind letting me go?”

“No.” Lance answered firmly.

Keith groaned but followed behind. He would never admit it, but he would follow Lance anywhere. He knew Lance like the back of his hand, and trusted that he would never get them into any real trouble. Lance only let go when they reached an empty hallway and he turned to face Keith, placing his hands on the Gryffindor’s shoulders. The look on Lance’s face was solemn and Keith was just the tiniest bit worried.

Lance took out a piece of parchment and handed it to Keith. He opened it and began reading.

_ Lance, _

_ Since the start of our last school year, I always wondered what you were up to when you weren’t in the common room. I would stay up late at night imagining what it’s like to sleep next to you. I have watched every Quidditch game and celebrated your every win and been upset about every loss. I don’t like how you look when our house loses.  _

_ I’ve always wanted to approach you but I’ve been so scared. I think you’re very handsome and have always been scared of what you will think of me. I’m not the prettiest of the bunch, but I’ve wanted to talk to you for a year now. I’m not sure if you know who I am, but if you want to, I’ll be waiting in owlery after lunch.  _

_ \- Marina _

Keith stared at the letter in his hands before looking up at Lance with a raised eyebrow. He rolled it up and handed it back to Lance. “Do you know who it is?” He tried to keep the bitterness out of his tone, he really did. But apparently it showed because Lance’s mouth quirked into a smile.

“Aw, is little Keith jealous?” He cooed and pinched Keith’s cheek.

Keith slapped his hand away in annoyance. He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Jealous of what?!”

“Dude!” Lance waved his arms in exasperation. “I just got my first confession!”

Keith shrugged, wanting to be seem nonchalant about the situation, but he really wasn’t. He was feeling very bitter about it because his dumb crush on Lance was going to be the end of him. “What are you gonna do about it?”

“I’m… not sure.” Lance sighed. “I think I know who she is. I might go. Lunch is soon so… I guess I’ll get ready. Later, Keith!”

Lance waved as he briskly walked towards the direction of the dungeons. Keith waved back and turned on his heel. He had a scowl on his face, feeling annoyed because he was planning on confessing to Lance but someone had beat him to it. He had planned on telling him while they were up at the Astronomy tower some time during the semester. And if Lance said yes to going out, he would hand Lance a red rose. His favorite flower. Maybe transfigure it into a blue one. He wasn’t sure about that. Transfiguration wasn’t his strongest subject.

He made it to the Fat Lady, giving her the password grumpily and glaring at her when she complained about his attitude. He went through the common room where a few students were gathered around talking. He ignored them all and promptly made it to his room.

Keith flopped on his bed and groaned into his pillow, annoyed. He was going to skip lunch and he didn’t care. He kicked off his shoes gruffly and got comfortable in his bed before double checking his schedule. Yup. There it was. Gryffindor and Slytherin would be taking three classes together. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Charms. He scrunched up his nose, this meant he would be seeing Lance in three classes. If it were any other moment he would be thrilled, but this year, if things went well between Marina and Lance, he would just be annoyed. Dealing with a loved up Lance was not an easy task.

Lance was always glued to the person in the most lovey dovey manner Keith had ever seen, and whenever they hung out as a group, the person would be with him. In Keith’s opinion, it was disgustingly annoying. In someone else’s eyes (Allura’s and Romelle’s), it would be cute. Keith had been through that scenario one too many times and it was exhausting for him. 

Lunch hour came and went, Kosmo joined Keith for a nap. Keith was bored out of his mind, casting minor spells and charms on inanimate objects around the room. He was in the middle of casting his Patronus - a wolf - when the door swung open with a bang. His patronus disappeared as Keith glared at the intruder. Lance. He was panting with eyes blown wide.

“How did you get in here?” Keith sat up as Lance plopped face first onto the bed.

Lance spoke but it was muffled.

“I have no idea what the hell you just said.” 

Lance rested his cheek on Keith’s thigh, sigh escaping his lips. “She’s so… pretty, Keith. She has the most gorgeous brown eyes and curly hair and curves and she’s just so…” He let out a dreamy sigh. 

Keith clenched his fist. “I’m sure she’s very pretty.” He pet Kosmo’s head, only to keep himself from running his hands through Lance’s hair. He didn’t know if he was allowed to do that anymore.

“She is.” 

Lance sighed and flopped on his back, eyes on the ceiling but mind in the clouds. “You didn’t go to lunch.”

“Wasn’t hungry.” Keith had his eyes glued to the ceiling as well, concealing the frown forming on his face. He wasn’t sure what emotion to have. He was feeling everything and nothing at once. He felt like crying but also like screaming into the void. Deep inside, some nasty part of him, was hoping Lance wouldn’t like her. That he wouldn’t go and hang out with Keith instead, that Lance would turn around the moment he saw her. That Lance would love him instead.

Keith wasn’t blind. He was gay. He knew Marina was attractive, objectively. She may not have been the most sought out girl in school, but she was pretty and had great curves. He was surprised Lance hadn’t approached her first. Marina was an outstanding student, specifically in Arithmancy and was one of the first in their class to Apparate properly. 

“Keith!”

Keith snapped his eyes down to Lance who was looking at him questioningly, 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just tired.”

Lance frowned and sat up. “I’ll go then, you need sleep. Classes start tomorrow.” He was already at the door when he turned. “See you after dinner?” 

Keith nodded. Lance smiled the slightest bit before leaving and closing the door behind him. They always met up after dinner to talk about their day, hang out, or study if they needed to. Keith wasn’t going to give that up. He hoped Lance wouldn’t stop going either. It was their only one-on-one time. Not even their friends would intrude on Lance and Keith hangouts. 

It was dinner time and Keith was making his way down to the Mess Hall when he came across Pidge. She was frowning as she stomped her way through the mass of students.

“Okay, grumpy pants.” He chuckled, grabbing the collar of her robes. She protested and glared at him. “What’s up with that face?” 

Pidge sniffed, arms crossed. “Hunk dumped me for Shay.”

Keith sighed, rubbing his right eye. “I know that feeling. Let’s go.” He ruffled her hair the way she hated and continued walking.

It was expected. Shay and Hunk were a new thing, so he wasn’t as surprised/offended as Pidge was. Lance would be the same soon. He let out a sigh and patted her shoulder before parting ways to their respective tables. Pidge to Ravenclaw, and Keith to Gryffindor. Allura sat next to him for dinner, chatting about how cute Romelle was being and everything they did during the day.

Keith blocked out most of it, not being up for a bunch of talking and listening to how happy his friends were. Don’t get him wrong, he’s happy they’re happy. But, it sucked how the one time he planned on confessing to Lance, someone one upped him. And before classes had even started.

Once they were dismissed, Keith went to take a bath. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see Lance that night. He shook his head. He would be there. He wasn’t going to let his feelings get in the way of their friendship. Or Marina.

Christ, he sounded really bitter. 

After his bath, Keith dressed and made his way to the Astronomy tower. It wasn’t curfew yet, so no one questioned him as he walked through the hallways. When he got to the tower, he couldn’t keep a frown off his face. Marina was sat in Keith’s usual spot. And the real question on the tip of his tongue was, ‘Why is  _ she _ here?’. This was Lance and Keith time. Not Lance and Keith plus one. 

He made his way towards them, hands tucked in the pockets of his sweats. He sat on Lance’s other side, offering Marina a quick wave. Keith was a little jealous, not a dick. He didn’t get a word out before Marina was getting up and pecking Lance’s cheek, waving at Keith, and slipping away quietly. 

Keith blinked, turning to Lance. “Why’d she leave?” He questioned. 

Lance paused for a second. “Cause it’s our time. Do you… not want to have this anymore?” He sounded so hurt, it pained Keith immensely.

“No! No, no.” He shook his head, bangs flopping side to side. “That’s not what I meant.” He put a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “I want to. I just thought she would stay, that’s all.” He shrugged it off to seem nonchalant, but in reality he was relieved this was still their time.

Lance hummed and patted the spot on his other side. Grinning the tiniest bit, Keith swapped over to his usual spot on Lance’s left. They spoke about their day, most of the talking coming from Lance. Keith enjoyed listening to him. The Slytherin could talk all day long and Keith wouldn’t mind. He had many stories to tell and Keith would absorb himself in them all. Lance’s stories were intriguing and endearing, even if they were ones Keith already knew as well as Lance himself. 

They were laughing at something Lance said when they heard the door of the Astronomy tower open. The teenagers froze on their spots, expecting the worst of the worst. They turned around slowly when they heard someone clear their throat. 

“Shiro!” Lance squeaked. “What brings you here?” 

Shiro had his hands on his hips, eyebrow raised. “Why are the two of you outside of your dormitories when it’s way past curfew?”

The two boys looked at each other briefly before turning back to Shiro. 

“Colloshoo!” Keith pointed his wand at Shiro’s feet as he spoke, gluing the head of house’s shoes to the ground. “Run!” Lance and Keith managed to dodge Shiro’s grasping hands by an inch as they sped past him. They could hear Shiro complaining and telling them he was going to take points from both their houses. They ran down the stairs, almost tripping on their own feet. Once at the end, they were panting from the running and laughing. 

Keith was the first to compose himself, checking to see if there were any other professors around. Once Lance had gathered himself, he sniffed and cleared his throat. 

“Well, I’m off. Good night, Keith.” He grinned.

“Night, Lance.”

The Slytherin waved as he jogged towards the dungeons. Keith turned on his heels and headed off to Gryffindor tower. He was going to be chastised by Shiro the next morning without a doubt. 

* * *

It was a month into the semester a Keith was going to lose his shit. And fast. He was already drowning in homework, he was slowly, but surely, distancing himself from Lance because of Marina. The two of them were everywhere together and honestly, it was annoying Keith to the point where he couldn’t stand to see them anymore. (He was jealous. He didn’t want to admit it because it was an ugly emotion.) 

He was currently in the library, working on his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework, Kosmo curled up around his feet. Pets weren’t technically allowed there but Kosmo knew how to hide in Keith’s robe so he would be fine. 

Keith could feel his pent up frustration taking a toll on him. His shoulders were tensing up and his writing was becoming sloppy. He was running out of parchment, meaning he would have to get up, go to his room and come back. He let out an exasperated groan and Ryener, the librarian, shushed him. Keith huffed and tied his hair up. Another sign of his frustration. He really felt like screaming. Or crying. Whichever happened to come first. 

Just as Keith was about to thump his head against the table, a few sheets of parchment paper were slid in front of him. He looked up and saw Lance, he was wearing a sly smirk on his face. 

“Thought you might need some.”

Keith frowned, looking down at the paper. “How did you know I needed it?”

Lance plopped down on the seat across from him, shrugging. “I know you, and I know you’ve been mega stressed out because of everything. And you always manage to forget your extra parchment when you’re doing homework.”

Keith hated that Lance knew him so well. He smiled at Lance and thanked him for the parchment then went back to scribbling on his paper, trying very hard to ignore Lance’s gaze on him. In the end, he gave up and looked up at the Slytherin. 

“What? Do I have something on my face?” He rubbed his hand over his cheek, feeling self conscious about his appearance. 

Lance let out a breathy chuckle. “Nah, man. You’re fine. I’m just… thinking of some stuff.”

Keith placed his quill down, ready to listen to Lance talk. He prompted his friend to speak his mind. 

The Cuban was chewed on his bottom lip before making a noise at the back of his throat and slumping lower in his chair, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “I don’t know what to do about Marina.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been with her for a month, Lance.”

“I know, that’s why I’m saying it. She’s all over me all the time and wherever I am, she’s there. And I get that she likes me, cause I like her too, but I need my space, y’know?”

The next words that came out of Keith’s mouth pained him the smallest amount, jealousy was bubbling in his stomach. “Talk to her about it. If she likes you like she says she does, she should give you your space.” He shrugged and he picked up his quill again, continuing to write. He barely registered Lance’s hum of acknowledgement. 

Thanks to Lance bringing the parchment, Keith was able to finish his homework without having to go back to his dormitory. He was putting his things away when he felt eyes on him for the second time. He knew it wasn’t Lance this time, because Lance was preoccupied with discretely petting Kosmo. 

He looked up and saw a Hufflepuff looking at him, but they quickly turned around. He frowned at the person and finished putting his things away. Sneaky as always, Lance transfigured Kosmo into a bag and carried him out of the library. Once out, Lance apologized to the cat profusely. Keith rolled his eyes because only Lance would apologize that much to an animal, it was kind of endearing. 

“Uh, Keith?” 

Keith turned at the voice, the Hufflepuff from before was wringing their hands nervously in front of them. It was Ryan’s partner Sam, also known as Blue to their friends. They looked adorable if Keith was honest. Lance looked between them before picking up Kosmo and walking out. 

Keith turned to Sam, who was looking anywhere but at Keith. “Uh, I was, well, wondering if Gryffindor wanted to have, a, uh, joint practice with H-Hufflepuff.”

Keith blinked at Sam in minor confusion until it clicked. “Oh! You’re the new captain!”

Sam nodded their head, chuckling a little, they made an involuntary high pitched noise that obviously embarrassed them.

“Why didn’t you ask Kinkade? He’s the captain…” Keith quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

“Oh!” Sam laughed nervously again. “He doesn’t like joint practice with Hufflepuff. But, uh, Ravenclaw kind of backed out and I’m, y’know, kind of scared of the S-Slytherin captain.” 

“Sure, dude. We have practice on Saturday at eight.”

Sam nodded, brown eyes lighting up in excitement. “L-Later, Keith!” They waved at Keith and hurried off. 

Keith huffed out a laugh before jogging up to meet up with Lance, he hadn’t walked that far off. 

“Everything okay?” Lance asked, eyeing the corridor that Sam had walked down.

Keith nodded. “They wanted a joint practice with us.”

Lance hummed, letting Kosmo sit on his shoulder. Keith felt that something was really off but he decided to ignore it as they walked. When they reached the lake they both lied down on the grass underneath a tree, eyes closed. Keith could feel Lance’s body heat because of how close they were. 

“So, you’re having joint practice with Hufflepuff?”

“Yup. Saturday night.”

“Nice. Cool, cool, cool.” Lance sounded upset when he spoke. He was never very good at hiding his feelings from Keith. His best friend knew him all too well.

Keith turned his head to Lance. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Lance turned to Keith, brown eyes looking darker than usual. The breeze was rustling his hair and Keith wanted to reach out and touch it. It looked soft and it was curling at the ends. He had a strong urge to touch his fingertips to Lance’s cheek, so he could know if his skin was as soft as it looked. 

“What would I be kidding about?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “You’re jealous cause our teams never have joint practices.”

Lance was frowning quite petulantly. Keith thought he looked adorable. “Well, yeah! We’ve been asking for so long and you always say no!”

Keith just huffed, because Lance wasn’t wrong. He didn’t like to practice with Slytherin because years before they were co-captains, they would have joint practices and their competitive spirits would jump out and ruin practice for everyone else. He told Lance exactly that.

“Then why doesn’t Kinkade wanna practice with Hufflepuff? It’s always with Ravenclaw! What aren’t we like competition for you guys or something?! Like, yeah we haven’t won the cup final since you’ve been seeker but we will!” 

Keith groaned loudly, not at the last thing Lance said, he knew Slytherin were getting better each year and he wouldn’t be surprised if they did win the cup this year. “You just saw me agree to practice with the Hufflepuff captain, Lance. And I said yes because we’ve never practiced with them before. Kinkade always says no because he and Sam are a couple and Kinkade would literally beat himself if something happened to them outside of a game.”

Lance stared at Keith for a second before grinning. “That’s some cute shit.”

_ Cute shit I would like us to be doing. _

Keith shook his thoughts away because those were bad thoughts. Very bad thoughts he didn’t want to have in his head while Lance was with Marina. 

* * *

The following week Lance had come running up to Keith, waving his arms frantically. “Keith! Keith!”

Keith had to physically stop Lance from crashing into him, holding the Slytherin by the shoulders. “What is it?”

Lance handed a piece of parchment to Keith with the schedule for the Quidditch season on it. The first match was Gryffindor against Slytherin. Keith smirked up at his friend, competitiveness already bubbling in his stomach. Lance had the same determined look in his eyes. They were ready to play each other and they both knew it. They had been practicing their flying all summer long and Keith had beat his personal record in snitch catching. It was going to be an interesting match.

The day of the game came and Keith was ready. He had the new broom Adam had bought him for his birthday the year prior but he’d never used it for an official match before. He seriously wanted to see the look on Lance’s face when he saw it.

They heard the whistle and mounted their brooms before the announcer, Plaxum called them onto the field. They flew off and took their positions. Keith was watching the stands, the whole school sporting either green or red, showing their support to the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses. Keith spotted his friends, a mixture of silver, green, red and gold. He snorted to himself because they could never pick a side. He found it endearing really. 

Plaxum announced Slytherin and Keith watched as Lance took a spot across from him, because they were both seekers they flew far above everyone else. Lance grinned and waved at their friends before turning to Keith, smirk on his face.

“How does it feel to already know you’re gonna lose?”

Keith scoffed.

“Holy shit, is that a new broom?”

“Yup, Adam gave it to me last year.”

“How am I just seeing it?! Looks sick dude!” 

Keith grinned and didn’t waste time to dive down as the whistle blew. He had already caught sight of the snitch while talking to Lance. He barely heard Lance’s indignant ‘hey!’ as he zoomed by other players. He laughed as one of the Gryffindor beaters spun on his broom after the end being hit by a bludger. He shouldn’t have laughed but he did anyways.

“Keith! Look out!” 

Keith managed to avoid the wall he almost flew into by an inch. He fell from his broom and rolled on the floor, groaning. He let out a growl as he saw the snitch fluttered past him. 

“You okay?” 

He looked up at Lance, worried look on his face. “Fine.” He mounted his broom and before he could fly off, Lance was off. He growled again as he took off after Lance. It was a wild goose chase after that. The two seekers were dodging other students and bludgers. 

Keith watched with horrified eyes as Lance was leaning a little too forward in his broom to catch the snitch. He didn’t react on time and watched as Lance tipped forward in slow motion, fingers clasping the snitch. 

“Lance!” He screamed as he watched his best friend’s eyes widen. Lance was lucky enough to regain his balance and Keith felt a rush of relief run through him. 

He was slightly disappointed Gryffindor lost, but it was worth seeing Lance’s grin. The wide one where his eyes are bright and the corners of his eyes crinkle. Gryffindor had a meeting after that, talking of what they could strengthen and practice on. 

After walking out of the locker room, Keith found Allura and Romelle waiting for him. 

“Sucks that you lost.” Romelle said, frown on her face. 

Keith shrugged, eyes landing on Lance who was with Hunk, Pidge and Marina. Lance dipped Marina down and kissed her. Keith looked away, hurt bubbling in his chest. 

“Oh, man.” Allura mumbled. She looped one of her arms through Keith’s and pulled him along. 

“I’m fine, Allura.” He mumbled, eyes glued to the ground. He was scowling at the floor without noticing until Romelle flicked his forehead. “Uh, ow!” 

“You looked like you were about to burn a hole in the ground.” She raised an eyebrow as Keith rolled his eyes. “Listen, Keith, we know Lance is your best friend and crush, but you it’s not okay to feel like this.”

“I’m fine.” He repeated and managed to loosen their grips on his arms. “I need to go and say congratulations.”

“Might be a little harder than you think.” 

He followed Allura’s gaze and felt his stomach plummet as he saw Marina pull Lance towards the castle, bright grins on their faces. Keith turned to the two girls in front of him and swallowed. “I think I made a huge mistake.”

Lance didn’t show up at the Astronomy tower that night.

* * *

Keith wasn’t pissed, he was hurt. Hurt that Lance did  _ exactly _ what he promised he would never do. Stand Keith up during their time. Lance had never stood Keith up before so things must have gotten serious with Marina. And fast. He was already missing his best friend. 

Keith had passed by Lance and Marina in the hallways a few times since the Quidditch game. He had seen Lance mostly during class periods and barely even then. They couldn’t talk much, but the little notes they would pass to each other were non-existent because Lance would be preoccupied passing them to Marina instead. Deep down, he knew he was jealous. Jealous that someone managed to tie down Lance enough to almost completely ignore his friends. 

Lance would sometimes meet up with them in the Room of Requirement but it would be so quick that it was like he wasn’t even there. If Marina wasn’t there, he was usually desperate to see her. As if he was in a desert for months and she was the oasis he had desperately been looking for. He wanted to be with her all the time and it was annoying all of their friends because Lance had promised nothing would change between them and here they were. Well, Keith was because he was sitting alone in the Astronomy Tower, the cold bite of October nipping at this nose and fingers.

He was glumly looking out at the courtyard, arms wrapped around his legs and had his chin resting on his knee. It was dinner time, so no one was outside but he enjoyed looking at how the breeze would make the trees and grass sway. 

“Hey. Thought I’d find you here.”

Keith didn’t move as Hunk sat beside him with a small container. “Didn’t see you at dinner. Thought you might be hungry.”

“I’m okay. Thanks, Hunk.” He heard Hunk sigh beside him. “I promise I’m fine.”

“That’s what someone who isn’t fine says, Keith.” Hunk placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder comfortingly. “We get that you miss hanging out with Lance, we all do. And we all know that you have this massive crush on him so it’s gotta be worse for you. But, I promise he’ll come back to his senses and hang out with us again. We’ll be in the Room of Requirement later if you wanna join.” He squeezed Keith’s shoulder and got up, stretching his arms over his head. “We wanna see you there later.”

Keith said nothing and continued to watch the grass sway.

Eventually, he did join them. He walked in, hands in the pockets of his pants. He raised an eyebrow at the dummies that were placed around the room, no sign of relaxing spots anywhere.

“Keith!” Allura grinned. “You made it!” She took his arm and pulled him into the room where his friends were.

Romelle, Hunk, Shay, Pidge and even Shiro and Adam were there. 

“Uh, what’s going on?” He asked, eyeing all of them skeptically. 

“We’re here to help you vent.” Adam spoke, wand in hand. He pointed his wand at one of the dummies that was in the corner, bringing it to the middle. Adam gestured to the dummy.

With a sigh, Keith took out his wand and pointed his it at the dummy. The dummy looked suspiciously like Lance. Keith looked between all of them, receiving encouraging looks, although Hunk looked apprehensive.

Scowling, Keith said loud and clear, ‘Bombarda’ and watched as the dummy exploded. Dummy after dummy, Keith cast different spells that made the dummies explode into pieces. His favorites were  _ bombarda _ and  _ confringo _ . He hadn’t realized he was yelling until he felt his throat dry and cough racked his body. 

A hand patted his back and another ruffled his hair. He knew it was Adam and Shiro.

“Take it easy, Keith.” Adam suggested. “We know you’re mad at him.”

“It’s unfair.” Keith croaked tiredly. “It’s not. He lied to me. He told me nothing would change but he’s always with her and never wants to be with us. He’s always so… so desperate to be with her I can’t stand it. It’s almost like he’s under a literal spell.” He fell limply against his brother. He was suddenly feeling exhausted after his outburst, the lack of sleep finally catching up on him.

He hadn’t properly spoken to Lance since before September and it kept him up at night. Lance would sometimes sneak into the Gryffindor dormitories if they weren’t able to meet at the Tower and talk about their day. They were always grateful for the Muffliato spell. Now they didn’t have that either. Keith felt like they had never spoken before or they had just met. It was like not knowing who Lance was anymore.

“You should get some rest.” Adam advised, frown visible on his face.

Allura volunteered to take him to the dormitories, Romelle, Hunk and Pidge close behind them. Keith knew all of their friends were worried for him, but he didn’t have the energy to tell them not to worry. Allura bid them a good night before guiding Keith into the dormitories. 

Kinkade and Sam were in the common room, and Allura, not so subtly, asked Kinkade to keep an eye on Keith for the night. 

“He might have planned a joint practice without me knowing,” Kinkade spoke, raising an eyebrow between Keith and the hufflepuff beside him, “but, I will. Can’t have my co-captain and seeker in the slums.”

Allura sighed in relief. “Thank you, Ryan.”

Almost zombie like, Keith made his way to the room, shedding his robe and placing it over his trunk before crawling into bed. It was the first time he slept twelve hours. 

* * *

Keith was feeling almost robot like as he went about his days. It was the beginning of November already and he honestly could not remember half of the things that happened during October. Especially his birthday. Did his friends celebrate it with him? Did he spend it alone? He had absolutely no clue. 

He was making his way to the library, Kosmo hiding in his bag when he heard a rather loud ‘Keith’ from behind him. He looked behind him to see Romelle running towards him and waving her arms. Keith stopped and watched as she doubled over in front of him catching her breath. She didn’t say anything, only grabbed Keith’s robes and pulled him behind her. He let out a startled yelp, Kosmo jumping out from his bag.

“Romelle, where are we going?” He asked as he struggled to get her to lose her grip. 

“No time to explain.” She exclaimed and took a turn, Keith almost bumping into other students.

They reached the entrance to the Hufflepuff dormitories and he watched as Romelle took out her wand and tapped a rhythm onto the barrels. One of them opened and she nearly shoved Keith inside. He tripped over his own feet but managed to straighten up.

Sitting in the common area were Hunk, Pidge and Allura. 

“We know what’s going on with Lance.” Allura claimed as she stood. “He’s under a love potion.”

Keith stared at her before looking between the other two students. 

“Pidge and I have been watching Lance over the past few weeks.” Hunk spoke. “How he’s been acting, who he’s been with, what he’s been eating.”

“Especially what he’s been eating.” Pidge specified. “We noticed that he’s been eating these.” She brought out a piece of chocolate shaped like a heart. 

Keith furrowed his eyebrows and took a look at it. “What is it? I’ve never seen it at Honeydukes. Or the muggle world really.” He brought it to his nose and got a particular smell. Lavender and honey. “What is this thing?”

“It’s chocolate laced with Amortentia.” Hunk informed and Keith dropped the chocolate so fast Hunk yelped. “Dude, that was the only one we managed to snag.”

“Sorry.” He murmured. “What are we gonna do?”

“We need to report it.” Allura sighed as she flopped next to Romelle. “It’s illegal to be using this. Especially a student on another. I’m going to talk to Shiro about it and see what he does. He needs to talk to the headmaster.”

“I agree.” Romelle sighed, her head on Allura’s shoulder. “She needs to be stopped and we need our friend back. I miss Lance.”

They all silently agreed on it. Keith picked up the mushed chocolate and wrapped it on a piece of parchment. “I’ll talk to Shiro.” He shoved the chocolate in his bag and secured it. “I… miss Lance, too.” He was going to say more, but he bit his tongue because he didn’t want to be spilling his guts in front of them. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Keith, wait.” Pidge grabbed his wrist and shoved something in his hand. “That’s where she’s keeping the Amortentia.”

“Thanks, Pidge.”

He walked out of the Hufflepuff common room and ran through the castle looking for his brother. He came across Coran and he almost yelled at him asking where Shiro was. He wasn’t up for one of Coran’s story, so he asked him again until Coran told him Shiro was in the mess hall. Keith sprinted there and nearly burst in. 

Shiro and Adam were sitting on the Hufflepuff table talking and having lunch. Keith hated to interrupt but he had to. He stomped over and placed the chocolate between them. The two adults looked down at the chocolate and then at Keith.

“Well, smell.”

Adam raised an eyebrow and picked up the chocolate, examining it before taking a sniff. “Lavender and honey. That’s strange. Are these new at Honeydukes.”

“No. It’s what’s keeping Lance from us.”

“What do you mean, Keith?” Shiro inquired, looking at the piece of chocolate suspiciously. 

“It has Amortentia. Hunk and Pidge found it because they were observing Lance and Marina. And this,” he placed the parchment down, “is where it’s being kept.”

Adam and Shiro hurried out of their seats and rushed out of the mess hall, Keith and Kosmo following close behind. They made their way to the second floor of the castle and hurried to the girls lavatory. The three of them completely ignored Moaning Myrtle (Keith gave her an absent minded wave) and made it to the last stall. It was empty.

Keith gave a loud groan, rubbing his hands over his face.

“Wait.” Adam reached out a hand and uncovered a cauldron, invisibility cloak in his hand. The cauldron had the same chocolates inside.

* * *

Waiting for the final verdict had Keith pacing in the common room. He had chewed his nails down to nubs, none of his friends succeeding in calming him down. It was already two hours since Shiro and Adam left and an hour and a half since they entered the headmaster’s office with Marina and Lance. 

“Can you please sit?” Allura huffed. “ You’re making me nervous.”

Keith glared at her and continued to pace and chew his nails. 

The door opened and Keith turned to look so fast he almost got whiplash. Shiro looked tired as he stepped inside. 

“How is he?” Keith blurted, the nerves getting the better of him.

“He’ll be fine, Keith.” Shiro patted his shoulder before sitting down on an empty armchair. “He’s staying in the infirmary for tonight. Madam Pomfrey will watch over him until it’s out of his system.”

“What about Marina?” Hunk asked. “Is she getting punished?”

Shiro nodded. “She’s going to be suspended for a week, effective immediately, and another two in detention. Her parents are already notified.” 

Keith slumped on the spot next to Hunk, shoulders relaxed for the first time in two hours. He blocked out everything they were saying because Lance was okay and he would be back with them like normal. 

“Why wasn’t he so affected? Why did he seem normal?” Hunk inquired and it piqued Keith’s interest.

“The amount used wasn’t much. She only gave him a chocolate a day and made sure he ate it early so the effects wouldn’t wear off so early.” Shiro explained with a frown. “We still aren’t sure how she got the ingredients or when it was made.” 

“It had to be early in the term.” Romelle hummed thoughtfully. “She must have given him one with the letter she gave him.”

Keith struggled to remember if Lance had any chocolate on him the day Lance showed him the letter but came up empty. “I know he said she was pretty, and was going to give her a chance, but I never saw him with chocolate.” He mumbled. 

“He won’t remember much of what happened.” Shiro sighed. “So we need to keep an eye on him.” He stood up, clapping his hands once. “It’s late and all of you should go to bed soon. I’ll escort you three to your dormitories.” 

When only Keith and Allura were left, Keith let out a loud sigh and rubbed his hands over his face. 

“He’ll be alright, Keith.” Allura said comfortingly. “He’ll be disoriented for a bit but we know you’ll be there for him. Just try not to yell at him.”

“ _ What _ ? I’m not going to yell at him.” Allura raised a manicured eyebrow, unimpressed. Keith glared at her before getting up. “I’m going to bed.” He mumbled and stomped off to his room. 

He was awake way before the sun was up, sleeping only for three hours. He watched as Kosmo came in with his nightly hunt and as Kinkade snuck out to see Sam. Kinkade thought he was slick, but Keith knew he wasn’t. At all.

It wasn’t until after nine that Keith stood from his bed. It was Saturday after all, and he wanted to see Lance but didn’t want to seem too desperate. He dressed in his casual clothes and made his way to the infirmary. At the door, he took a deep breath and pushed it open. Madam Pomfrey was tending to Lance, so he wanted until she was done to walk in.

He was a few steps away from Lance’s bed when Lance noticed him. Keith felt like the air was sucked from his lungs when Lance looked at him. He smiled brightly at Keith, in a way Keith had never seen him smile before. It reached his eyes, making them crinkle in the corners and nose scrunching. 

“Keith!” 

“Hey, Lance.”

Lance stood from the bed and nearly tackled Keith into a hug, arms wrapping around Keith tightly. Keith felt himself tense up, he hadn’t been hugged since Lance was put under the love potion. He waited for a second before hugging Lance back just as tight. He inhaled, Lance’s natural scent filling his senses. 

“I missed you, man.” Keith whispered, voice catching on the lump in his throat.

Lance let out a chuckle, tightening his grip even more. “I missed you, too, buddy.”

Keith let go reluctantly and sat down on the chair next to the bed as Lance lied down. “So, how are you feeling?” He felt the awkwardness in the room and he almost flinched. 

Lance sighed, resting his head on the backboard, eyes on the ceiling. He looked worn down, eyes missing the usual liveliness they held. His skin was ashy and face had a few pimples here and there. Something so out of the ordinary on him, it unsettled Keith.

“I’m not sure. It’s been crazy these past weeks. I… don’t remember much. I feel like I was asleep the whole time.” Lance’s eyebrows scrunched as if trying to remember what had happened. “I’m… sorry for-“

“If you’re going to apologize for not knowing what was wrong, shut up.” Keith grunted. “It’s not your fault, Lance. So don’t you dare apologize.” He scowled at his friend who only chuckled. 

“Okay, okay. I won’t.” Lance paused before continuing. “I kind of knew something was off. My brain was telling me that this whole thing was off but I wouldn’t do anything about it. I felt like my last two brain cells were fighting against each other but brain cell one was stronger and won every time.” 

Keith snorted at that, but Lance wasn’t entirely wrong. 

“Lance!” 

Keith didn’t have to turn around to know it was Hunk rushing into the infirmary with tears about to fall. He watched as Hunk nearly crushed Lance in a bear hug. He didn’t butt in as they spoke, Hunk cheerfully telling Lance of the new recipes he came up with and had to try. After a while, Allura, Pidge and Romelle strolled in with Kaltenecker perched on Romelle’s shoulder.

Lance perked up at the sight of his owl. “Kaltenecker!” The owl landed on Lance’s lap and Keith fondly watched Lance pet his owl. 

The girls sat around the bed, all three of them questioning Lance on everything. Lance answered vaguely but no one minded. They all knew Lance was out of it for more than a month so it was excused. 

It wasn’t until two hours later that Madam Pomfrey walked in and told the others to kindly leave. She had to do a check up on Lance to be sure he could be cleared that day. The five of them told Lance they would see each other later, Keith being the most reluctant to leave. He shot Lance a smile over his shoulder before walking out.

The other four were waiting right outside the door, surrounding Keith like a pack of wolves. 

“First thing in the morning, huh?” Pidge smirked, and Keith was one hundred percent sure her glasses would have done the Anime Thing if it weren’t real life. 

Keith scowled at her. “What’s wrong with that?” He watched as all four of them rolled their eyes at him.

“We all know you’re in love with him, Keith.” Allura crossed her arms, manicured eyebrow raised.

He glared at them again before stomping to the mess hall for breakfast, the rest following close behind. They weren’t wrong, but Keith had never voiced it, so as long as it wasn’t said out loud, it wasn’t real. 

It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that Keith got to see Lance outside of the infirmary. Keith was doing his homework at the library, the only place he could concentrate and be in peace. He had been studying for their upcoming potions test that he was 100 percent sure he was going to fail. 

It was potions that were, technically speaking, illegal for the students to be using. Meaning, Amortentia, Felix Felicis and Polyjuice Potion. 

Keith wanted to rip his hairs off. 

“Careful you don’t rip off your mullet.”

Keith peeked up, seeing Lance sitting down across from him. He looked better now. Lance looked like he had spent a good half of his day moisturizing and taking care of his skin. 

“You look better.”

Lance sighed as he set down his bag on the chair next to him. “I spent half the day working on this.” He waved a hand over his face with a roll of his eyes. “I looked like shit.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

“Hey!” Lance glared at him before they chuckled into their hands, not wanting to disturb the others. “What are you studying for?” He asked after they had calmed down. 

Keith let out a groan. “Stupid potions. I know it isn’t until like three weeks from now, but I hate that I can never get it right.”

“You do know that only reading them isn’t going to magically make you an expert on doing them. Right?”

Keith glared at Lance. “I know. But I have no one to tell me if what I did was wrong or right. Everyone has been busy with their own thing lately.” The grip on his book was tight, knuckles going white. Keith didn’t want the others to know that he was the one feeling left out since Lance was gone. He used to be a loner before Lance, and without him, Keith went back to old habits of barely talking to anyone. Only when needed. He appreciated that their friends would try to talk to him, but it just didn’t feel right without Lance being there.

“Well, I’m here so maybe we can practice after you finally realize that memorizing does absolutely nothing because we’ll have our books with us during our exam.”

Keith scowled at him but sighed. Lance was right. They would be having their books with them. He shut his books closed and shoved it in his bag. “Let’s go.”

“Oh, so you’re admitting I’m right?”

Keith glared at him, the cockiness is Lance’s voice irritating him. It didn’t last long, as Lance had a smirk on his face that let Keith knew that Lance was teasing. “Whatever, lover boy. Let’s go.”

* * *

Later that evening after dinner, Keith made his way to the top of the Astronomy Tower, nerves filled his every fiber. He went up the stairs with shaking hands and legs feeling heavy. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling nervous. Maybe it was the fact that they were meeting up for the first time in months.

Keith steeled himself and finished going up the stairs. He wasn’t surprised to find Lance with Kaltenecker perched on his shoulder. The sight made something funny happen in Keith’s chest. He walked over and sat down. “Hey, man.”

“Hey,” Lance grinned at him, ruffling Kaltenecker’s feathers. The owl hooted at Keith before hopping towards him, head cocked to the side. 

“Aw, she missed you.” Lance cooed.

Keith raised an eyebrow at him. “She’s just staring at me.”

“That’s how she shows it.” Lance scooped her up and placed her on Keith’s shoulder.

Keith felt himself himself blush as Lance grinned at him. They didn’t say anything for a few minutes as Keith pet the owl. 

“Mind catching me up on how everyone’s been?” Lance asked. “They’ve been kinda iffy around me.” He wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his chin on his knees. “I haven’t played Quidditch in so long. It feels weird.”

Keith sighed, Kaltenecker ruffling her feathers beside him. “Well, Slytherin won three games out of seven. One against Hufflepuff and the other two against Ravenclaw. You, unsurprisingly, failed a potions test because of, you know.” He grimaced at the thought of what happened to Lance. He didn’t want to talk much about the situation so he gave Lance a quick once over about what happened while Lance was in his love potion induced state. 

Lance let out a sigh. “I didn’t know it was that bad, if I’m honest.”

“How… do you feel? About what happened?” Keith set Kaltenecker on Lance’s lap, Kosmo having crawled into his own.

Lance stretched out his legs, hands stretched out behind him supporting his weight. “I feel betrayed. For the first time I thought someone genuinely liked me and she betrayed me in the blink of an eye, thinking I wouldn’t like her or something. I noticed her and thought she was pretty, but it’s just so wrong.” He let out a grunt in frustration, running a hand over his face. “I thought if I got to know her I could actually get to be something serious with her. But it always goes to shit when I actually want something.”

Keith sighed loudly. “I’m… sorry this happened to you, Lance. I really don’t know what to say but I’m here for you.” He put his hand on Lance’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.

Without any prompt, Lace lied his head on Keith’s shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

Keith’s ears went hot and his cheeks pink. His nerves took over again and instead of being smooth and wrap an arm around Lance’s shoulder like how his brain was telling him, he started to pet Kosmo, hands shaking. 

Lance seemed to notice, taking Keith’s hands in his own and starting to warm them up. “Your dumb hands are freezing.” He grumbled. “No wonder they’re shaking.”

“These dumb hands can-”

The sound of the door to the Tower opening made them freeze. 

“Do you think it’s Filch?” Lance whispered, standing to take a peek at whoever was making their way up the stairs. “Fuck! It’s Filch!”

Keith stood up so fast, Kosmo fell from his lap and he almost fell down himself. He immediately took out his wand and whispered ‘Accio broom.’ The two minutes that took the broom to get to them felt like the longest two minutes of Keith’s life. They hurriedly mounted the broom and flew down to an open passageway. They ran towards the dungeons as they were closer and they wanted to avoid getting caught. They relaxed only when they were inside the Slytherin common room. 

They burst into a fit of giggles, adrenaline pumping through their veins. After their laughing fit was over, Lance guided Keith to the rooms. Keith knew it would be pointless to go back to the Gryffindor dormitory knowing Filch was on the lookout. They plopped on Lance’s bed, Keith setting the broom aside. The bed wasn’t so big, they were shoulder to shoulder. Keith could feel the heat radiating from Lance’s body, his even breath lulling Keith to sleep. 

Falling asleep next to Lance wasn’t anything new, waking up to Lance clinging to him like a koala was. What was weirder was how he was also clinging onto Lance. His brain was screaming at him to get up and leave. To leave Lance sleeping and slip out of the Slytherin dormitories as if nothing had happened. Before he could make himself panic, Lance turned to his other side, letting go of Keith. With a deep breath, Keith stood from the bed carefully and walked briskly to the Gryffindor dormitories. He avoided everyone’s eyes as he stomped his way to his room, broomstick in hand. He flopped on his bed and let out a muffled yell into his pillow. 

He felt his face burning. From what? He wasn’t sure. 

He got ready for breakfast, face still burning. He bumped into Allura who smiled slyly at him. 

“You didn’t arrive at the dormitories last night.” She casually pointed out as they walked towards the mess hall.

“Keith!”

Perfect timing, he thought as he heard Lance call his name.

“Morning.” He smiled brightly at Allura and Keith.

Strange things were happening in Keith’s tummy and he wanted to stomp whatever was making a ruckus in there. “Morning.” He mumbled looking to the floor, scared of meeting Lance’s eyes. 

“You weren’t there this morning.” Lance commented as they walked towards breakfast. 

“Oh - well - I didn’t wanna - you know - have people talking.” He stammered. 

“What do you mean ‘talking’?” Lance used air quotes when he said talking, confusion clouding his eyes. 

Keith sighed before speaking. “People talk Lance. Mostly shit. And they can talk shit about you and well, we - I - don’t that to happen to you. Rumors spread fast and it wouldn’t be fair. To you, of course. I don’t care what they say about me -”

Lance was grinning wider with every word Keith spoke. He laughed quietly, leaning on Keith slightly. “Thanks, man, for caring, you know? But I’ll be fine.” He patted Keith’s back and walked ahead. 

Keith furrowed his eyebrows and followed behind, eyes cast down. He wasn’t sure how Lance would react if people  _ did  _ start talking about him. Lance wasn't one to take criticism lightly and it would eventually get to him.

After breakfast, Lance met up with Keith, bumping their shoulder together. “The trip to Hogsmeade is next month. Wanna go together?”

Keith raised an eyebrow at him. “We go every year with everyone else. You do know that, right?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I was just making sure.” Lance’s laughter was sort of forced but Keith thought nothing about it. 

They took their classes like normal, Lance and Keith passing notes again. It would take time but Keith was glad something was back to normal. After their potions class, they walked to the mess hall for lunch. 

“Oh, man.” Lance groaned as he stretched. “Can’t believe I’m failing potions. Thought Coran would give me a chance.”

“I mean, it did seem like you were fine during classes. Just extremely love struck.” Keith half shrugged as they walked into the mess hall. “But we can study for the test. I’m kind of failing too, cause, you know, my tutor was gone for a while. Better buckle up cause we got a lot to study for, loverboy.” He patted Lance’s shoulder and walked to the Gryffindor table. 

“You know!” He heard Lance call, “I don’t think that nickname sits well with me anymore!”

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. 

During the course of a month, Lance and Keith slowly fell back into their normal habits. They would pass notes during class, hang out with friends and have their nightly chats in the Astronomy Tower. Keith’s feelings weren’t diminishing like how he wanted them to. How could they if they spent every second together? Sleeping in each others dormitory was starting to become a habit Keith wasn’t sure how to feel about. He really wanted to stomp on his feelings and spare himself of the inevitable heartbreak that he knew was to come. He and Lance could never be anything. And now? Yeah, he didn’t think so.

Lance was wary of everyone around him and even more so if they casually offered him something to eat. He would politely turn everything down if it didn’t come from his friends, Shiro, or Adam. His walls were up high and loverboy Lance was nowhere to be seen. He was different, everyone could tell, but it wasn’t a bad different. He just wasn’t so open about flirting as he used to be and Keith understood. He probably would never trust anyone again if he was betrayed in the same way as Lance was. He didn’t know how Lance was still smiling and how he hadn’t asked Marina to get expelled.

One half of his brain said it was too much while the other half said it was what she deserved. 

The two were in the Room of Requirement, practicing for their potions exam. They were practicing for their exam, Lance being a little behind and Keith needing the practice. Hunk was watching their every move like a hawk. The two weren’t the best at concentrating, getting distracted by the smallest of things or getting the measurements wrong. They were each in front of their cauldrons, following the instructions Hunk gave them. They had no idea what they were making, but they had to guess in the end. 

“Bet you 10 sickles they won’t guess what they’re making. Like, ever.” Pidge told Allura and Romelle quietly. They were on the couches, lounging around with their pets, having done their homework already.

Allura grinned. “I bet Lance realizes first.”

“I think they both will.” Romelle chirped, getting her hair braided by Allura. 

“I don’t think it’s nice to bet on something like this.” Shay commented, the other three assuring her it was one hundred percent okay to bet on their friends love lives. 

Keith had his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He wanted to get this right. Potions wasn’t his strongest subject so he really had to get it right. He managed the last steps, biting his bottom lip in concentration. He was almost immediately hit with the smell of beaches and morning dew. His eyes widened and he felt blood rush to his face. He heard Lance ‘whoop,’ meaning he was done with his own.

Hunk stood from where he was sitting with Shay and stood in front of his two friends. “Do you know what you guys made?” He asked a little sternly. He wanted to fit the strict tutor role for once.

Keith nodded while Lance said ‘I think so.’

“What do you smell?” 

Keith looked down at the pearl colored liquid, not wanting to speak first. He was screwed if he did.

“I smell… kind of like dry wind when it’s really hot in the summer and… a fireside.” Lance had a pensive look on his face.

“Keith?” Hunk prompted.

The Gryffindor student swallowed. “Beaches. And morning dew.” The blush on his cheeks was back as he held up a piece of parchment paper with the word Amortentia on it. Lance’s parchment had the same word written down.

(Allura and Pidge passed 10 sickles each to Romelle. Shay was shaking her head.)

Keith saw Lance blanch for a second and he knew Lance was going to say something about the potion. It was kinda messed up that Lance had to do the one thing he hated the most right now. 

“Wait. Hold up.” And here it came. “You smell beaches and morning dew? Keith Kogane who is your crush?” Lance had a shiteating grin on his face and eyebrow raised expectantly. 

Keith blinked at Lance, taken aback because he was not expecting that to be his reaction. 

“It’s you, dumbass!” Pidge called from the couch.

Lance blinked for two seconds before turning from Keith to Pidge and back. Keith had averted his gaze to the floor, arms crossed over his chest defensively. He wasn’t expecting Pidge to yell it so loudly that it bounced off the walls. He wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. His ears and cheeks were burning and his hands hurt from how tight he had his fists clenched. He guessed his friends were also tired of him pining after his best friend. 

“What?” Lance rubbed his temples. “But you told me you didn’t like anyone!” He exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief. 

“How was I supposed to say it was you, idiot?” Keith snapped. “I wasn’t going to risk it. You’re one of my best friends, Lance. I’m not going to fuck anything up because of my feelings. I’ll see you later.” He stormed out of the Room of Requirement, leaving his belongings behind. He ignored the little voice in his head telling him to stop and go back. Go back to Lance.

“Keith! Wait!” 

So it wasn’t a voice in his head. 

He begrudgingly stopped, and without turning around he spoke, “It’s fine, Lance, I’ll eventually get over you. Have been trying for the past year.” He mumbled the last part to himself almost bitterly.

Lance was now in front of him. “Wait, how long have you liked me?” He asked.

_ Long enough to love you. _

The childlike curiosity of the teenager in front of him prompted him to answer. “Year two.” Keith had his eyes directed to Lance’s chest, missing the other’s reaction. “I know you don’t like me and it’s fine.”

“But I never said that.”

Keith looked up at him skeptically. He wasn’t sure what to believe from Lance. Not that Keith didn’t trust him, he did. He was just cautious. Nothing more, nothing less. 

“Keith… I… like you, too.” Lance scratched the back of his head. “I’ve just… been flirting around because I never thought you’d like me back. And after the Marina thing, well. I wasn’t exactly looking for anyone. I needed to get my head straight before pursuing something with someone.”

Keith blinked at Lance dumbfounded until it all clicked for him. “You like me?! Since when?!” He exclaimed in shock.

Lance’s cheeks flushed, looking away. “Second term of first year.” He had his eyes on the ceiling, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. 

“You were with Marina-”

“I was under a love potion, Keith!” He ran a hand over his face in frustration before exhaling. “It doesn’t count.”

“You went back to her after she confessed!” 

“Because I thought you didn’t like me! Okay? I thought you didn’t and wouldn’t like me back. And now, you say you do even if you never hinted at it before.”

Keith sputtered out a laugh. “I was hinting at it for months! Years!” His eyes were wide as he spoke. He wondered how Lance had never noticed the little details Keith did for him. Keeping an eye on him, taking care of him when needed, buying him his favorite candy from Honeydukes when they went to Hogsmeade during school trips and on the train ride to Hogwarts, giving him chocolate frogs for every occasion because Lance liked to collect the cards, and even sleeping in the same bed for one too many nights because Lance didn’t want to sleep by himself. 

“You’re seriously dull.” Keith huffed.

Lance scoffed. “Dull? You’re duller! I was literally hoping you’d tell me not to meet with Marina that day. Or any other time I met with someone.” The tone of his voice lowered with every word spoken. “I was always chickening out when I was going to confess to you.” He was starting to curl in on himself, eyes downcast. It was doing bad things to Keith’s chest. “I didn’t want to fuck anything up. I… I didn’t want to lose you.”

Keith wanted to move, he did, but he was rooted to his spot. His mind was racing a mile a minute, all of the things he wanted to say dying on the tip of his tongue. 

“Keith! Lance!”

The call of their names seemed to snap Keith out of his state. He - technically - threw himself at Lance, arms wrapping around his neck. “You’re seriously an idiot.” He mumbled, tightening his arms around Lance. “I’ve liked your for so long. I... thought you would never like me back.”

Lance wrapped his own arms around Keith. “You’re an idiot, too, mullet.”

Keith grinned into Lance’s shoulder, hands clutching Lance’s robes. 

That night, in the Astronomy Tower, they sat together under a blanket talking softly. Lance shared the All Flavored Beans his family sent, laughing at each other’s reactions when they got gross flavors. For the first time in weeks, Keith felt truly happy.

* * *

It was the day for their trip to Hogsmeade. Students were buzzing for their annual trip as they gave their permission slips to Shiro. Allura was next to Keith as they waited to hand them in. They were standing in the cold, watching as it snowed. Keith’s cheeks were flushed from the cold, even if his face was halfway wrapped by his scarf. 

“I can’t wait for my date with Romelle.” Allura sighed, her breath creating fog. “She looks so cute wrapped up in her scarf.”

“Sounds pretty gay.” Keith commented, voice muffled by the scarf. What could be seen of his cheeks were pink because of the cold. 

Allura raised an eyebrow at him. “You and Lance are literally a thing, Keith.”

Keith’s cheeks went brighter. “We’re not actually a thing yet. We’re... working on it.” He shoved his permission against Shiro’s chest and walked away, head down in embarrassment. He and Lance weren’t anything yet, they had confessed yes, but they hadn’t talked about how they were going to proceed. Glances and soft touches were exchanged and the occasional cheek kiss as well, but it went no further than that.

He could hear Allura giggling behind him, making him walk at a brisk pace. He spotted Lance in the mass of students and weaved his way towards him. Hunk, Shay, Pidge and Romelle were with him, all of them chatting about what they would be doing when they reached Hogsmeade. Romelle saw him first and waved him over, Allura close behind. 

“Hey.” Lance breathed, fog forming as he spoke. The tip of his nose was red from the cold and Keith thought he looked really adorable with his scarf and beanie with the pom-pom. “You ready?”

Keith nodded, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat. He wasn’t sure why, but he was feeling nervous all of the sudden. This was, technically, their first outing as something more than friends. They started their walk, side by side, elbows bumping softly once in a while. Keith slowed down a little to match Lance’s steps after noticing he wasn’t walking at his normal pace. 

“You okay?”

Lance looked at him with the corner of his eye and smiled. “Yeah, just enjoying the weather.”

Keith raised a skeptical eyebrow. “No one enjoys cold weather more than Allura and even she was complaining about the cold.” He watched as Lance let out a breathy laugh, his stomach twisting because soft Lance was one of his favorite Lance.

“Listen, um, remember when I asked you if you wanted to come to Hogsmeade with me?” Keith nodded slowly, not understanding where Lance was going with the question. “Well, I meant just, you know, the two of us. Just, Lance and Keith time.” Lance turned his face away, to look at the snowflakes falling. 

The question caught Keith off guard for a moment. He groaned in frustration, hiding his face in his hands. “I can’t believe you were low key asking me out on a date.”

“Please, never say low key out loud again.” Keith chuckled at Lance’s reaction, the latter pinching the bridge of his nose. “But yes, I was asking you out and it completely flew over your head. Pretty sure it was the mullets fault.”

“Well, sorry it  _ was  _ kinda vague. And it’s not a mullet.”

“You didn’t even let me finish talking!” 

“I did. And you asked if we wanted to go together, but! I thought you meant as we always do. You didn’t specify. You, sir, didn’t say ‘just the two of us.’ You said  _ together _ . So I  _ assumed  _ it was all of us.”

“Aha! So you  _ assumed  _ what I was trying to tell you.” Lance looked smug about it. Why? Keith didn’t know because it meant Lance wasn’t as clear with his intentions as he thought he was. 

“Okay, Lance. Let’s go.” He chuckled and offered Lance his arm, hands being too cold and him being too shy to offer his hand. With a bashful smile, Lance placed his hand on the crook of Keith’s elbow and continued their walk to Hogsmeade. 

When they arrived, Lance pulled Keith straight to Honeydukes. Lance was talking about the candy he was going to buy, chocolate frogs if he was being specific. Keith kept in mind the ideal Christmas gift he would get Lance. (A huge bag of Honeydukes candy cause Lance’s sweet tooth was something no one could get over.) They bought two bags worth of candy, Lance saying he was going to get the card he’s always wanted in the Chocolate Frogs they bought. They walked out of Honeydukes, sharing a bag of Dolly Mixtures while heading to the Three Broomsticks. They were laughing at a dumb joke Lance said but it was stopped short when they saw Marina. 

Lance froze in his steps, laughter dying and a stoney look setting on his face. Keith tried to keep his expression neutral as they walked passed her, making Lance walk a little quicker than usual. They didn’t speak as they sat down and even after Keith ordered them both hot chocolates. Keith nursed his mug, warming his hands. He was at a loss for words, not knowing how to comfort the boy in front of him. He took a sip of his hot chocolate, feeling awkward. Something he hadn’t felt around Lance since first term of first year.

He heard Lance snort as he set his mug down. “You got.” Lance gestured to his own nose, letting Keith know he had whipped cream on his nose. With burning ears, he wiped his nose and ducked his head. “You’ve seriously never been on a date before have you?”

Keith glared at him from over his mug. “No. And you know that.” He noticed Lance’s shoulders weren’t as tense as they were when they arrived. He felt a little relieved.

“I just thought you were kidding. I mean, not a single one in your 18 years of life? No one believes that.” Lance grinned, hands around his mug and leaning closer to Keith. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes and Keith knew Lance was trying to rile him up. 

“Well, I mean, I’ve always had a type.” Keith leaned back in his chair, posture relaxed. He wasn’t going to let Lance rile him up like he always did for giggles. Keith was an easy guy to annoy but not today. Not while they were in their first date.

“Oh, really? What kind Mr. Kogane?” Lance was grinning now, a zoo erupting in Keith’s tummy because that smile was directed at him and no one else. 

“Oh you know. Tall, tan, buff around the shoulders, pretty brown eyes. Selfless personality, extremely kind, goofy, heart of gold. I like my men usually pretty cunning, they’d do anything for their friends, you know. Stuff like that.” Keith looked up from his mug and at Lance who’s cheeks were almost crimson. “You okay there, Lance?” 

Lance let out an unsettled laugh. “Yup, I’m great! Fine! Never better!” 

Keith burst into laughter, as if Lance’s reaction was the funniest thing in the world. He thought it was endearing the way Lance reacted because it was unexpected. Especially from someone like Lance.

“Stop laughing, mullet!”

Keith did not stop laughing.

Time flew fast for them. One minute they were in Honeydukes, buying bags of candy and the next they were on their was back to Hogwarts, huddled close and content smiles on their faces. For a first date, Keith was more than happy. 

They were standing in front of the entrance to the Slytherin common room, facing each other with flushed cheeks. Lance cleared his throat, a nervous habit of his that Keith knows too well.

“So, um, I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah. I’ll meet you at the same place?”

Lance nodded, rubbing small circles on the back of Keith’s hand. “I had fun today. Even if you made me fall into a mountain of snow.”

Keith groaned. “It wasn’t my fault! You were the one who tripped and pulled me down with you! You have no sense of balance.” 

“If I had no balance would I be able to do  _ this _ .” Keith yelped as Lance pulled him closer, burying his face in Keith’s neck. 

Keith had no clue how hugging had anything to do with balance but he wrapped his arms around Lance, pressing his nose right above Lance’s ear. It tickled his nose but it was worth it. Lance smelled like mango mixed with his cologne. It was a weird mix but Keith loved it. 

“Not sure how this has anything to do with balance, but I like it.” Keith mumbled, making Lance let out a soft snort. 

“Just wanted to hug you.” 

“You just have to ask.”

Lance hummed, tightening his arms around Keith just a fraction. Reluctantly, Keith began to card his fingers through Lance’s hair and felt him go limp. He wished they could stay like that forever, but Keith knew Peeves would be around and rat them out. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Keith pulled away a little reluctantly, not wanting to let go but not wanting to get busted either. It was an hour past curfew and Keith was not risking detention anymore than Lance was. Detention could be fun, but neither wanted Keith to risk his title as Prefect. The perks were pretty good.

“Ugh, fine.” Lance pouted.

Keith really wanted to kiss his pout away. So he did. Without thinking twice about it, Keith leaned forward and pecked Lance’s pout. He lingered for a moment before realizing what he did and pulling away abruptly. “Shit, Lance, I’m-”

Lance shut him up with a giggle that escaped his lips. Keith looked at him incredulously as Lance chuckled to himself, eyes scrunched and cheeks red for exertion. “You’re so cute.” He managed to say between bursts of giggles. 

Keith was dumbfounded. They just had their first kiss in front of the Slytherin dormitories and Lance couldn’t stop giggling. He couldn’t help but cup Lance’s face in his hands and kiss him again. He felt Lance go slack and kiss back. They jumped back when they heard laughter coming from down the hall. 

“Shit!” Lance hissed and frantically put the passcode for the dormitories. They stumbled inside, giggling like a pair of lunatics. Lance took Keith’s hand in his and they walked to the seventh year dormitories. When they got to Lance’s bed, he tossed Keith a pair of sleeping pants and a shirt. They changed and lied on the bed, facing each other almost sheepishly. 

Keith cleared his throat awkwardly, not knowing what to do with this arms. He had them curled against his chest, fingers curled around the neck of his shirt. Lance wasn’t as stiff as Keith. His shoulders were relaxed and eyes were droopy, ready to sleep. 

“Relax, man.” Lance mumbled, hand reaching for Keith’s. “It’s just me.”

“We kissed not ten minutes ago.”

Lance let out a snort. “We did.” He kissed one of Keith’s knuckles.

“And went on a date.” 

“Uh-huh.”

“And our friends know about us now.”

“Yup.”

“Does this mean we’re… boyfriends?”

“I mean, only if you want to.”

Keith had never seen Lance look so shy before. In the dim light, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were averted to their hands. 

“I do. Want to be boyfriends, I mean. I just want you to be okay with us before, you know, becoming official boyfriends.” 

Lance smiled at Keith warmly, the smile reaching his eyes. “Thanks, you know, for keeping me and my feelings in mind. But, I’m okay. I’m ready for us, Keith.” He pressed his lips against the palm of Keith’s hand, eyes closed. 

Keith sighed, closing his eyes. He was - officially - with the guy he had been pining for. 

**Author's Note:**

> this had been sitting in my drafts for over a year. klance is something that i hold very close to my heart so i hope this fic makes you feel as fond of them as i do


End file.
